Stanley McClover: I wanted to follow Chris Gamble to Ohio State

April 4, 2011|By Joe Rose

Former Dillard and Auburn star Stanley McClover joined me on the show Monday. McClover made national headlines last week on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel with his lurid charges of his being given cash and sexual favors by college boosters on the recruiting trail in early 2003 and then later by Auburn boosters to reward big performances in big games.

I gotta tell you, man, you threw a bomb out there and got everybody fired up with your interview with Real Sports. What made you decide to come out and tell your story? "First of all, Joe, just to set the record straight, I have a foundation. It's called Big Brothers United. And the reason I formed my foundation is for kids like me who came up in inner-city homes, mostly poor homes, and single-parent homes. These guys need guidance. It's all about money these days. That's the problem I'm having with my boys now. So, when I got the opportunity to talk to HBO, I took it as a blessing. I took it as a blessing to give my testimony and hopefully we change somebody's lives. I'm not interested in everything else, I'm only interested in changing these young boys' lives, because I went through it in my life. That's why I'm giving my testimony."

Stanley, I saw where Auburn is unhappy with you and even your former coach Ken Scott and former Dillard and Auburn teammate Junior Rosegreen were both very critical of your coming out. Have you talked to them? "I have nothing good to say about those guys. I lost a lot of respect for Coach Scott, because he deals with kids. He's the coach. He's been out at Dillard for a long time. His word has a lot of influence on those kids. It's not about getting took care of anymore. You can't receive money off of these kids. It's not fair. I don't know what Ken Scott was doing. I know he knows. I know he knows what time it is. You have to be crazy to not know what time it is. It's time to stop turning the cheek, because you don't know what is going through these boys' lives. ... They're trying to discredit my name, but I'm standing on the truth, so I'm OK with that."

I happen to think you are telling the truth. That's why I wanted to have you on the program. I think it goes on, especially at powerhouses: "Let me just ask you this, Joe. I never once spoke about Auburn in my recruitment process. The people in Florida know this. I committed to Ohio State because they just won the national championship. [Former Buckeyes and Dillard standout] Chris Gamble, I played with him the year before that. I looked up to Chris Gamble. I wanted to go to Ohio State. That's where my heart was. But when Auburn came into the picture, they brought their whole coaching staff to Dillard High. ... to ask me what they've gotta do to get me. And you're asking a child something like this. Of course I'm gonna ask for money, of course I'm gonna ask to not to stay in apartments and all that. I want it all if you're gonna give it to me, but that's the only way you get an athlete out of Florida. At my time, I was one of the elite best. How do you get me out of here to go to Auburn? I never knew what Auburn was."

There have been a lot of kids that have gone from Dillard to Auburn. Was there pressure at Dillard for kids to go to Auburn? Did you ever feel that? "Of course, my defensive line coach went to Auburn. A lot of other coaches they had out there went to Auburn. It was pressure all the time. And the Auburn coaches were always out there. I was talking to [Tigers assistant] coach [Eddie] Gran when I was in the 10th grade, he was recruiting me. I was in the 10th grade. I [knew] about them. I just never wanted to go there. 'Who is Auburn?' That's how I felt. That's just the truth."